


blood of the covenant

by frankzhang



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Confrontations, Families of Choice, Gen, Post-The Tyrant's Tomb (Trials of Apollo), The Trials of Apollo Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27904582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankzhang/pseuds/frankzhang
Summary: How Leo and Reyna became close.
Relationships: Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano & Leo Valdez
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	blood of the covenant

**Author's Note:**

> **“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”**
> 
> written because ricky didn't show us the way reyna all of a sudden became leo's hermana <3

“Reyna,” Leo began. She started walking away faster as he approached her in the hall. “Reyna, _wait._ ”

Once she reached her room, Reyna attempted to shut the door on his face, but he rushed to stick his foot in before it closed. He winced but remained determined to talk.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” he asked. “Ever since the Hunters got here, you haven’t spoken a word to me. I tried asking Thalia, but even she’s…” Leo shrugged it off. The Hunters have always been cold to anyone male, so he didn’t give Thalia a second thought, but he would have thought that Reyna would say hi or something.

Through the crack of the door, Reyna stared at him blankly, just looking into the depths of Leo’s soul. He briefly wondered what she saw before her face flashed and she looked as if he hurt her. Reyna shoved at his foot to unblock the door and slammed it into his face so hard he jumped back.

He just sighed and leaned his back against the door. “Listen, I don’t even know what I did... I wanna fix it because, y’know, we’ve all been through so much. We all deserve to have people by our side. I think that…” Leo paused and closed his eyes. “I think that Jason would want us–”

Reyna quickly pulled the door open, effectively stopping Leo from continuing his monologue.

“Do not say his _name._ ” Her glare mixed with the new blessing of Artemis sent chills down Leo’s spine. “Of all people, you will _not_ say his name.”

“Don’t say his– what the hell?” He was confused but he felt his body temperature increase as Reyna scolded him about Jason. “He was my _best friend,_ I don’t think you can tell me what I can and can’t do when it comes to him,” Leo glared back.

Reyna scoffed. “Whatever.” As she began closing her door, Leo held it open.

“No,” he stated. “What is your deal? I thought we were cool the last time we saw each other. Now you barely even look at me. You leave the room when I enter it, Reyna. Just tell me and I’ll go.”

Studying Leo, Reyna straightened her back, allowing herself to look down at him. “Jason is gone, Leo. There’s no reason for us to keep talking.”

He ran a hand through his tangled hair frustrated. “Why won’t you just _tell_ me? Weren’t you his best friend too? I don’t understand why we can’t get along,” Leo exasperatedly said. “You and Thalia are the closest thing that I have to Jason right now and I thought that we would get, I don’t know... Closer or something? He would want us to be together right now–”

Hurt flashed on Reyna’s expression once more before hardening. “No, Leo, he would want to be _alive._ ”

“Reyna–”

“No. You want to know why Thalia and I refuse to speak to you?” she asked, walking into his space. “Because you should have _died._ And you came back. Jason is gone and he can’t. Why do you get to cheat death,” she backed him up against the wall, “and Jason Grace does not? What qualities make _you_ special?” sneered Reyna.

He wished he knew the answer. “I don’t know, Reyna! I don’t know! You know him better than I do…” Leo squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a shaky breath. “You _knew_ him…”

“I didn’t,” she spat.

“What?” He opened his eyes to Reyna’s angry yet pained expression.

“I _didn’t_ know him better. He was taken from me and his memories were wiped. Jason was a different person when I met him the day you arrived, Leo. And he died before I got to know him! I _never_ knew him. Not for who he was and whatever he became. He chose Camp Half-Blood. The Jason I knew would have chosen Camp Jupiter. You took that chance away from me. You took it away from Thalia. Yet you still get to live.” She clenched her fists, whether to stop them from shaking or to keep herself from punching him, Leo didn’t know. 

Reyna brought her face closer to his. “Maybe if you did what you were supposed to for once and _stayed_ dead, he would still be here.”

Leo was pressed against the wall within the hallway, processing all that Reyna just dumped on him. The hatred that was burning in her eyes was softened by the tears that threatened to fall. She was blaming Leo for Jason’s death. She was blaming Leo for still being alive. He wasn’t surprised. 

“You think,” Leo started, “that I don’t know that already?” He laughed harshly and saw Reyna’s contempt mix with confusion. “Every day, I think about how _I’m_ here and _he’s_ not.” Leo grit his teeth. “Every day, I think about raiding the Underworld and begging Hades to switch me and Jason. _Every day,_ I feel like I’m not supposed to be alive! I barely accept it myself, Reyna! But we are all we have right now!”

He felt his hands burst into flames and he had to pat his leg to put out the fire.

“Jason could have made the world a better place and he _died._ I know that. I’m _sorry_ I’m here instead, Reyna. I’m sorry I’m alive...” His voice cracked and he choked on his words. “The only reason I’m still here is that Jason wouldn’t like it if I… He’d hate me if I killed myself. And I–I wouldn’t...be able to take that.” He took a deep breath and looked down at the floor to avoid Reyna’s piercing gaze. “But if it were up to me, I would bring him back instead.”

There was only silence that followed. After a few seconds, Leo glanced up at Reyna and saw that she was looking down at the floor as well. She had taken a step back. Now that they both had just unloaded each other’s burdens, he expected Reyna to retreat into her room, never to speak to him again. He wouldn’t fault her for it either; sometimes Leo wished he could walk away from himself.

Instead, she did the opposite of anything else Leo could have anticipated.

Reyna hugged him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Leo just stood there silently, neither speaking nor moving to hug her back. What else could he do? He wasn’t prepared for anything that’s happened so far. Reyna’s hands just rested on his neck and back, tightening her grip as she continued apologizing to him softly.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t… I never should have said those things. You’re right, Jason would have wanted us to, to stick together. I’m sorry I ever thought you ever…that you ever deserved to…” Reyna stumbled on her words and held him tighter. “If Jason ever knew I thought that, gods…”

When her body began to tremble, Leo lifted his hands to hold her by the shoulders and gently pushed to get a clear look at her. Despite the tears streaming down her face and her puffy eyes, Reyna still glowed with a silver haze and looked as regal as she should be.

He wanted to comfort her, yet he didn’t know why she was crying on his shoulder and apologizing to him when they both unleashed themselves to each other. “Reyna, why are you crying?”

Sniffing, she wiped her cheeks, only for new tears to replace the ones she got rid of. “You’re one of the only things I have left of Jason too. And saying, or even _thinking,_ that you should be gone instead… I am so sorry. “ Leo watched as Reyna struggled to maintain composure right in front of him. “He would hate me for that. _You_ should hate me for that. But it’s so hard, Leo. I just– I look at you and I see him.” She hid her face by pulling him into another strong hug. “It’s _so hard…”_

When Reyna said she saw Jason, Leo felt his eyes sting. His arms wrapped around Reyna and returned the embrace just as tight. “I know. Gods, believe me, I know.”

“I–I miss him so much,” she choked out. “I’m so sorry, Leo. You deserve so much more.”

“Hey,” Leo pulled away. _“Ambos merecemos mejor._ 1 And stop apologizing. It’s not your fault and I don’t blame you. I thought the same things, so I can’t really hold it against you.” He tried for humor, but it fell flat with his voice thick with emotion.

Reyna fixed his hair and gave a half-hearted scoff. “Neither of us should have thought about it in the first place.” She sighed and looked at him weakly. _“Enserio si lo siento...”_ 2

He studied her then. The normally headstrong and powerful woman stood before him, apologizing for something she didn’t have to. Reyna and Leo never seemed to see eye to eye, and they never had time to fix that before. Between the war and Apollo needing help, he never wondered where he stood with the people he knew since he came back to life. Though as Reyna looked him directly in his eyes now, Leo saw that he might have gained a sister he never thought he’d get to have.

 _"Estará bien, hermana... Estaremos bien." 3_ He brushed away her tears and guided her to sit against the wall beside him. “We just need time.”

They leaned their heads together and stared at Reyna’s open room, each lost in their own thoughts. Leo thought about what Piper told him when they flew to Oklahoma together: Jason made his choice. Whether it was him or Reyna or anyone else in Piper’s place, it was a choice he made. He felt the weight of Reyna’s head against his. Now more than ever, he needed to respect him. Because of that choice, Leo needed to live, to stay alive.

They both did.

“He would have been proud of you, you know,” Reyna broke through his thoughts. “For handling that kind of burden. He’d call you strong.”

Leo bumped her shoulder lightly. “Look who’s talking. You’re a Hunter now, and you work beside some of the toughest girls in the world like Thalia. He’d be even more proud of you. You helped Apollo when it mattered too.”

Reyna lets out a soft chuckle. “We all did.”

“Yeah, I guess we did.” He took her hand and she squeezed it. “I guess we have to make our lives count.”

“If not for yourself,” she sighed, “then for him. For us.” Reyna lifted her head and stared into his soul again. “You have a family here, Leo.”

Leo looked right back at her. “Yeah... I’m starting to believe that.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1 We both deserve better.
> 
> 2 I really am sorry...
> 
> 3 It'll be okay, sister... We'll be okay.


End file.
